Intermittent Claudication

Intermittent Claudication

What is Intermittent Claudication?
Intermittent Claudication (Claudicatio intermittens) is noticeable by cramping pains in your foot, calf, femur, or trunk during walking. The amount of effort that causes the pain differs per person. The pain is caused by a lack of oxygen in the muscles. This lack is a result of a narrowing in the artery of the leg, due to which too little blood, and so too little oxygen reaches the muscle. By a short pause (standing still in front of a shop window) the level of oxygen is restored and the pain goes away. After this you can continue walking, but the symptoms mostly reoccur shortly after.

The pain symptoms can be of great influence on your daily life. Moreover, your physical condition decreases when you have too little exercise because of the symptoms and you may also suffer from a delayed healing process of wounds on your foot or leg.

Treatment When you think you are suffering from Intermittent Claudication, you should contact your Family Practitioner or physiotherapist. Your physiotherapist can help you through physical exercises to decrease the problems caused by Intermittent Claudication. This can be achieved by walking exercises and strength training, guided by the physiotherapist. In our practise you can get help from Rob Walterbos. He is specialised in claudatio symptoms and he is associated with the nationwide network ClaudicatioNet.